Marshall council adopts assessments for South Hill and Charles Avenue reconstruction after public hearing

The Marshall City Council adopted the assessment roll for the South Hill, Minnesota and Charles Avenue reconstruction project following a public hearing and brief public testimony.

Jason Anderson, director of public works and city engineer, told the council the full reconstruction included street, sidewalk and utility work and that the city followed its assessment policy in calculating property assessments. "The interest rate on the assessments will be set at 5.78% and the repayment term of 8 years," Anderson said. He described the cost allocation for the project: 7.5% to wastewater, 27.8% to MMU, 1.2% to surface water, 46.8% city general participation and 16.6% assessed to property owners.

Two property owners raised concerns during public comment about how individual charges were calculated. Steve Coin, who said he lives at the corner of Charles and Whitney, said he had paid more than $7,000 on a prior Whitney project and that he had been told any prior payment would be credited toward Charles Avenue, leaving only an alley charge of roughly $1,100–$1,200. "I need to know what's going on," Coin said, noting his assessed amount was more than he expected. Anderson replied that Coin was receiving a $5,850 credit (the street portion paid earlier) and that the alley portion attributed to his parcel was approximately $2,377.24. Anderson said staff would follow up with the resident to confirm line-item calculations.

Bruce Marks, speaking on behalf of a Hill Street resident, reported that when service was restored after the project the occupant's basement flooded and the resident paid about $1,700 for cleanup. Marks asked whether compensation was possible; Anderson said he had not previously been made aware of that specific loss and would confer with MMU and the wastewater department to investigate and follow up.

Council closed the hearing by motion and then moved to adopt the assessment resolution. The motion passed by voice vote; no roll-call tally was recorded in the meeting record.

What happens next: Anderson said assessments will be certified and sent to the county this fall, with payments due beginning in 2027. Residents with questions were directed to staff for follow-up and clarification of credits and specific line items.